Institut für Pflanzengenetik

Today is the start of my third week working as a research assistant at Leibniz University in Hanover, Germany. I want to talk a little bit about what brought me here and what my interests are, what the position entails etc.

Sponsor of the Nanotechnology workshops

Ever since I was a junior in high school I knew I wanted to do research. However, I have always known I wanted to be a veterinarian. By that time, it was hard to think how could I combine both of them and find a career that I am truly passionate about. The first time I was exposed to research was when I had the opportunity to attend some workshops sponsored by NASA which focused in Nanotechnology. It lasted two weeks. Throughout this time we would learn about the field and perform experiments at the same time. When I knew I liked research was when I did not mind being exposed to this for an entire day for two weeks. It was so interesting and I was really into it. That same summer, I volunteered with a veterinarian and with an organization back home in Puerto Rico dedicated to the rescue of dogs and cats without a home. This was the start of a journey that brought me to Germany.

Volunteering at Save a Sato

Fast forward to my first year at Northeastern. I started working during the fall of my first year (Fall 2015) at Professor Meni Wanunu’s laboratory. It was a Biophysics laboratory and it also involved nanotechnology which was the field I had been previously trained in. I learned basic skills and worked assembling nanopores for different experiments going on in the lab. It was a great experience and I truly learned so much. All the graduate students were always teaching me something new and I felt like this experience prepared me really well for whatever would come next. In the end I knew nanotechnology was not what I wanted to focus on but the skills I learned from this experience were incredibly valuable regardless. I worked in Professor Wanunu’s lab for over a year, but in the end I wanted an experience that would combine both research and veterinary medicine. 

I researched many programs and Purdue University’s Veterinary Scholars Program came up. It accepted six undergraduate students and paired them with different doctors/mentors to focus on a research project for 11 weeks. I applied and was accepted. And I had Professor Wanunu and all the other graduate students that helped me throughout that year and a half to thank for!

Website: Wanunu Lab 

 That semester I was applying for co-op positions and I thought I wanted to stay in Boston as I have previously mentioned. My ideal co-op position was to work as an assistant in a veterinary clinic. I was already volunteering at the Back Bay Veterinary Clinic in Boston, but an e-mail was sent outlining there were available positions for students interested in doing research in Germany. I don’t know what drew me to this but I applied and received an e-mail telling me I was offered a position with the group of Dr. Thomas Reinard. The group focuses on the production of pharmaceutical proteins in plants like Wolffia Australiana. They work directly with the genetic manipulation of these plants; a field also known as Plant Biotechnology. I knew I could only gain more and more experience to prepare me for graduate school so I accepted the position even though I was not a 100% sure I wanted to work with plants. I thought that at the moment regardless of the project or topic I would be working on, the experience and opportunity to do research in another country looked amazing (and it has been!). 

In the summer I realized I really liked the combination of veterinary medicine and research. However, I still wanted to have other research experiences that would let me know in what I would like to focus once I graduate so I was excited to work in Germany next. The program at Purdue really confirmed for me that I want to pursue a dual degree: Doctor in Veterinary Medicine (DVM)/ PhD. Although I have always wanted to work with animals, I knew I would  gain more knowledge and skills from working at Leibniz University. 

Ready for my final poster presentation after I finished my 11-week research project at Purdue University's School of Veterinary Medicine. 

The first few days working at the Institute of Plant Genetics at Leibniz University (Institut für Pflanzengenetik in German; hence the title of the post) were basically an introduction to everyone in the lab. I was able to do some basic experiments and I shadowed one of the bachelor students so she could teach me everything I needed to know before being on my own later in the semester. I realized the bachelor students here are very independent while working in the lab. Bachelor students here have to write a thesis which is why they need the field work combined with a few classes to be able to write it. It also explains why they have to be so independent while performing experiments. Later, many of them have to write another thesis; their Master's thesis. They cannot do a PhD without a Master's degree. 

For my co-op, I have been taught how to do all the basic experiments in order to be able to do experiments on my own. I have done a little bit of everything so far and of course you always have the basic processes you need to know like gel electrophoresis and PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction). We have meetings every Monday at 9am where everyone updates Dr. Reinard about what they have been doing and what results have they obtained, if any. I have also been given a book to read about Plant Biotechnology and several papers. Scientific literature is always the place to start when you are approaching a topic you have not worked with previously. In conclusion, so far, I have done a little bit of everything. As time passes, I will continue to learn more and hopefully be able to contribute to several ongoing projects at the laboratory.

From: thescientist.com

This week, starting today, I was able to do things on my own and I can't deny it feels good to be able to know your way around the lab. I always ask when I am not sure of something (and I do ask a lot of questions) but I feel very comfortable in the work environment. The lab group eats lunch every day together at the "Mensa" which is the cafeteria of the university and it's actually really good. 

Working here the past few weeks combined with the knowledge about Genetics that I already possessed (based off my work with oncology last summer and from my Genetics class at Northeastern) has reassured me that I want to work or do something related to this field. Research has so many sides to it I feel like it will always be hard to just focus on one thing because it can involve a lot at once. It is a step by step learning process. You cannot know this without knowing that. Being able to have this experience just continues to expand my knowledge every day as I continue to learn about all these different topics that somehow may come together in what I end up doing in the future. I am still exploring what I’d like to do for my PhD and this has been a great work experience so far to figure it out.